The physical benefits of exercise are always pretty clear cut: building muscle tone and definition, healthy weight maintenance, and feeling stronger in your everyday activities. But we've also talked a lot about how a fitness routine is more than just a physical workout, it's a mental one, too. So, if you're struggling with your fitness motivation right now, or need some encouragement to keep pushing through, here are the top 6 ways exercise can actually boost your mental fitness.

Just like you would structure a program for your physical fitness — like a weekly workout plan — you need to do the same for your mental fitness. Structure is crucial to keeping you motivated, on-track, and moving forward. Today, Sports Psychologist and Baby2Body founder, Melinda Nicci, is sharing her proven mental fitness routine.

There are so many reasons to build healthy habits around your diet. The food you eat and the nutrients in your body impact almost every part of you, both physically and mentally. So, for the second week of our self-love movement, #ImDoingItForMe, we’re focusing on nourishment.

You might find this stat shocking: Women in general are twice as likely to have depression than men with around 1 in 8 women (10%) being diagnosed with depression. Mental health challenges can be difficult to navigate, and it can be especially challenging for women who may face hormonal changes and challenges at different stages of their lives, including puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. We’re sharing mental health challenges women face at each stage and age of life, as well as support and resources. 

In the world of pregnancy and motherhood, we’re no strangers to talking about the physical risks of pregnancy. But we don't talk about risk in the form of mental health conditions – and they take the lives of more women than pre-eclampsia, cancer, and delivery-related bleeding. In fact, over 80% of maternal deaths are preventable, with 1/4 of those being linked to mental health conditions. We need to talk about it more. And that starts today. 

We’re here to tell you that self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essential. Self-care is all about replenishing your resources and restoring your energy - and there is nothing wrong with putting yourself first sometimes. February is the month of (self)love and for the next 2 weeks, we’ll be sharing just how to prioritize self-love and activities you can do every day to improve your wellbeing and self-esteem. Today, we’re starting with just why you should be prioritizing your self-love.